Forty Winks
by ribbonandbuttons
Summary: DH spoilers. Something that just came to me when thinking about a certain death. Ron and George comfort each other at The Burrow. Shortish and sweet. Oneshot. Review please.


_I don't own anything to do with Harry Potter. JKR owns it all. _

_This is just a wee thing that came to me when I was thinking about the death of Fred. It started off as something completely different and resulted in this. _

_I hope you enjoy, and review._

_Cheers._

_-------------------_

Soft lilac coloured clouds drifted around the purplely sky as the moon rose into a perfect spot above the little topsy turvy house on the edge of a small village. The crowd of red heads all clambered through the back door into the house they had desperately wanted to get back home to.

"We haven't been here for ages." Mrs Weasley sniffed as she walked through the dusty kitchen. "We'll all have to clean up tomorrow."

She gave alittle hiccup and then turned away from her family. "I'm going to bed." Her plain voice told them and quickly exited the kitchen.

The group watched silently as Arthur followed her out the door. Their footsteps echoed around the silent kitchen and the sons stood awkwardly.

"Yea." Ginny whispered. "I'm going to go to bed aswell then."

They nodded and listened to her footsteps trudge up the stairs after her parents.

"I think we should all go to bed." Percy told his brothers and Fleur who was leaning against the back door, a look on her face that told them she didn't want to intrude on the family grief. Percy glanced at George who was swaying slightly on the spot, he looked terrible, like he hadn't slept in days, which infact was the truth. Charlie shot him a look and left the room, Fleur escaping behind him. Ron gave a last concerned glance at George who was looking at the floor with mild interest and then at Percy who had taken charge of the whole situation moments before.

"George?" Ron asked tentivally and George rose his head. "Going to bed?"

"Yea." George mumbled quiently. "Going now."

"I think a good nights sleep would do you good." Percy said, a slight matter of fact tone edging into his voice. Ron saw George's face grimace slightly and look at the floor again as he used the bench to steady himself. Ron looked with a slight edge of contempt at Percy who was adopting his Prefect look.

"You can have my room if you want." Ron told him as it dawned on him what the problem might be. George looked up at him, a little smile of relief on his face and stepped towards him.

"Don't be silly." Percy told them, obviously not catching on. "George wants to be in his own bed doesn't he?"

George didn't have time to answer as Percy wasn't addressing him.

"C'mon you two." Percy said with a hint of pleading in his voice. "Just go to bed."

George opened his mouth to answer back and Ron had a feeling it was going to escalate into a full blown argument so he hastily grabbed George's arm and wheeled him around to the door.

"Yes." Percy said alittle lighter. "Bed now please."

-

Ron bolted upright as a noise entered the room, blinking madly he saw the shadow of someone opposite him. He fought the urge to call out and grab his wand as the moonlight cast a glimmer over the mans face. Maybe he was immaging it, but his dead brother was sitting opposite him looking absolutely miserable.

"Ron." Fred turned his head and there was a exspanse of free area where an ear was and Ron relaxed alittle into the wall he didn't realise he was propped against for support. It was George.

"Yea." Ron said, his voice crackily from just waking up. George looked at his fumbling fingers and then shook his head before standing up and moving for the door. "George wait."

George stopped, his hand hoovering over the door handle, shaking slightly.

"C'mere." Ron whispered but his words cut across the silence. George turned and looked at Ron with dull eyes, Ron felt his insides squeese together at the sight of his brother. George returned to his previous spot and was shivering slightly in the breeze that was coming through Ron's open window.

"Couldn't sleep." George whispered to him in response to Ron's unasked question. "Thought I could hear Fred sleeping in the bed beside me, but it wasn't" He took a shaky breath and a smirk came to his face, but it wasn't full of fun or laughter, he looked bitter and angry. "Obviously."

Ron stared at him, his arms were goosepimpily and his fingers were still shaking slightly.

"I couldn't stay in there." George said, his voice a little louder but more shaky. "It's just eating away at me. No ones talking about it. Trying to tip toe around me and everything, but you all expect me to go to sleep in the same room as he did for the last 19 years? And don't get me started on Percy!"

Ron scrambled to his feet and stood infront of him, shivering in the sudden coolness of the room out of the covers. George was on the verge of either crying or shouting his head off.

"I don't expect anything from you." Ron told him quickly and George put on a impassive face. "I understand that it's gonna be harder for you to deal with - with it."

George looked up at him standing in front of him.

"It's going to be hard." Ron told him, his throat felt as if it was going to close over. "We all understand that."

George's face crumpled and Ron pulled him into a hug. George's hands gripping Ron's t-shirt and pulling him closer as he finally broke down and cried. Long agonising sobs that were muffled ever so slightly by Ron's chest. The rest of the house was bound to hear it but George couldn't care less. His parents were too broken up about Fred's death that they didn't bother with anything anymore, Bill was at Shell Cottage as it was near the full moon and Fleur was downstairs and was the least likely person to go and see what the noise was, Percy probably would think it was the ghoul that he hadn't heard for years, Charlie was dead to the world and Ginny was the least of his problems. George didn't know why he had went to Ron for comfort, it just felt right. His younger brother was the brunt of all those jokes he and Fred had played for years, they had been to school with him and they probably knew him best. George felt another surge of bitterness crash around his brain. He had to stop referring himself as "we" and "they" Another sob careered out of his mouth and Ron was rubbing his back soothingly. George could hear Ron's breathing and it was ragged, his throat was making a whining noise and George knew he was about to cry aswell. Hiccoughing slightly he moved his head slightly but made no attempt to get out of Ron's embrace. They both sat shivering, arms wrapped around each other for comfort.

"He loved you y'know." George whispered but Ron had heard him. George could feel Ron tense up in his arms and George gave out alittle sigh. "You were his little brother."

Ron felt his eyes water but blinked rapidly to stop them from falling. "He was angry at first."

"What?" Ron asked looking down at George who was staring out the window, his head still pressed against Ron's rising chest.

"Yea." George said faintly. "Angry that you were away into all these dangerous situations. And then when you went to Bill's at Christmas and we didn't know, he was really pissed off that you couldn't have came to us for help."

George just felt all this spilling out of him and he couldn't stop it.

"It showed how much he really cared for you." George continued and found that he couldn't meet Ron's eyes. "I mean, all those tricks we played on you when we were younger. He didn't mean them, you don't like hate him for it do you? Ron?"

Ron looked at his older brother with a pang of sympathy. This was the problem, George was worried about people having a grudge against Fred.

"I mean, I made him do half of that stuff, you don't blame him for getting into trouble? Blame me Ron. I wasn't there to protect him. _Ron. Blame me_."

George was crying again and Ron pulled him back into his arms tightly and let his head drop onto George's shoulder.

"Of course I don't" Ron whispered.

"Wrong side." George sobbed. "I - I don't ha-have an ear there."

Ron in spite of the situation started to laugh and moved back so George could hear him properly.

"Of course I don't blame him for anything." Ron said to him calmly. "I have no bad memories of Fred at all. And no one blames you George."

George sniffed and pulled away from Ron.

"Are you sure?" George whispered. "We were pretty bad."

"You were hilarious." Ron reassured him with a smile. George smiled softly and Ron saw his whole face change, back to the old George, and it reminded him nicely of Fred.

"Thanks Ronnie." George whispered and looked at Ron again before standing up.

"Night Georgie." Ron said to him as he climbed back into bed and George left the room. Ron gave a soft sigh as the door clicked shut and listened to George's footsteps reach the stairs.

And when Ron woke up he couldn't move for the twenty year old twinless twin wrapped around his middle snoring into his side.


End file.
